


Apollo in the Dark

by The_Crazy_Fangirl



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood, Coma, Crying, Enjolras Has Feelings, Enjolras Is Bad At Feelings, F/M, Fights, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Good Friend Combeferre, Guilt, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protests, Self-Harm, Speeches, Why Did I Write This?, combeferre and joly are doctors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 11:19:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7572202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Crazy_Fangirl/pseuds/The_Crazy_Fangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Enjolras yells at Grantaire in a meeting, which leads him to get drunk. He gets hit by a car and falls into a coma. Enjolras feels lost, afraid, and consumed with guilt. This could trigger you, so please be careful reading. There's also fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry for writing this. I tried to write a part of this chapter where Combeferre and Joly are talking about what's wrong with Grantaire. It may not be entirely correct, so if there's something I can fix, please tell me! Thank you for reading!

"Enjolras..." Corfeyrac's voice woke him up.  
Enjolras stretched out in his bed like a cat. He was in the apartment he shared with Combeferre and Courfeyrac. It was 3 in the morning. What could Courf possibly need?  
"Come on, Enj, it's an emergency!" Courfeyrac pleaded with a shaky voice, shaking Enjolras back and forth.  
"Please Courf... I want to sleep..." Enjolras moaned.  
"It's Grantaire." Courfeyrac almost begged. Enjolras opened his eyes and felt his stomach flip.

No, he couldn't let himself react that way. Grantaire drove him insane. Grantaire didn't contribute to the Les Amis at all. He was nothing but a useless drunkard. He kept trying to convince himself that he didn't care, but he couldn't stop the way he felt. 

"That lazy drunkard. He can't do anything right..." Enjolras mumbled, trying to conceal his panic. He turned back over on his side. Courfeyrac seized the opportunity to shake him until he got up. 

"Enj, get up now! He's in a coma!" Courfeyrac yelled, starting to break down in tears. 

Enjolras sat up, eyes wide and a hand over his mouth.  
"N-no..." he whispered.  
Courfeyrac nodded and started to sob.  
"It's true! He went off and got drunk after y-you y-yelled at him yesterday..." Courf started. 

Enjolras' heart sank at those last few words. He remembered it vividly. 

 

(Flashback)

 

It was the day after the big protest. Everyone sat in the Musain and chatted about how the protest went. Enjolras stood up in front of the group and yelled, "Everyone, quiet!"  
"Of course, oh fearless leader." Grantaire replied with a bow and a flourish of his hand. Enjolras furrowed his brow and sighed. Not this again...  
"The protest went very well, everyone." he began.  
Everyone cheered.  
"Even though, only 12 people came..." Grantaire murmured.  
Enjolras shot him a harsh look with those icy blue eyes. It was a valid excuse to look at his perfect black curls and deep emerald eyes. Grantaire chuckled. He was used to that look. It didn't really matter. 

"Continue, Enjolras." Combeferre said with a warm smile, but he knew how this would end.  
"Our cause is being spread across the city, and a lot of people are signing the petition." Enjolras said, that passionate fire ablaze in his eyes.  
"There's no point!" Grantaire said, standing up and shrugging his shoulders. "Even if people sign the petition, nothing is going to change."  
"But the people will help us with our cause! This petition will work." Courfeyrac said with a grin, hope written all over his face. 

Enjolras started to look annoyed.  
Why couldn't they all just pay attention for two minutes? Why did Grantaire have to be so gorgeous and sweet? It made it so much harder to yell at him since Enjolras had feelings for him. 

"I've been writing a lot of poems and editorials about the issue, so if the petition doesn't work, that could." Jehan added.  
The whole group started adding bits and pieces to the conversation and Bahorel was pounding on the tables and chanting "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" Grantaire kept on saying that nothing would ever change. Enjolras looked as if he were about to explode.  
"I don't see how you believe in this cause! I don't see how anyone could. There's no point in trying, because we'll just fail." Grantaire said.

Enjolras exploded into a burst of firey rage.  
"Grantaire you are incapable of believing in anything. If you aren't here to support the cause, then leave!" Enjolras yelled. Grantaire looked like he had just been punched in the stomach.  
"Enjolras, calm down." Combeferre urged him, sensing Grantaire's pain.  
"Not now, Ferre." he snapped. "Grantaire, you' are absolutely useless to this group, and you can't do anything that doesn't involve drinking!" 

Why was he saying that? He didn't mean it! The words just kept spilling out.

"Woah, Enj. That's a bit harsh..." Courfeyrac said. A couple tears fell down Grantaire's cheeks, and he just stood there.  
"Not now, Courf. Grantaire, I want you to leave, and come back when you have found something to believe in."  
"But I believe in you..." Grantaire  
spoke with a shaky voice.  
Enjolras' expression was stone cold.

"Aw, Taire, don't listen to him." Bahorel said, trying to lighten the mood.  
"Grantaire, you're beautiful. Enjolras doesn't know what he's talking about." 

"Apollo's right..." Grantaire sighed. He stood up, took his cigarette, put up his dark green hoodie, and left the Musain. 

 

(End of Flashback)

 

Enjolras was in his own little world and tried to convince himself that it wasn't his fault. He felt guilt consume every part of himself as his friend cried. 

"T-then... He wandered off in the middle of the city... He...He was hit b-by a c-car... And he hit his head on the street and it knocked him out..." Courfeyrac sobbed even harder. 

Enjolras climbed out of bed and hugged Courfeyrac, but he couldn't feel his friend's arms when they wrapped around him. He just felt numb. This was his fault. This was all his fault...

"Ferre doesn't blame you, Enjolras, so don't worry. I'm sure he'll be alright." he paused.  
"I hope he'll be alright..." 

Enjolras was so wracked with guilt and felt tears swelling in his eyes, but no. He couldn't show his feelings for Grantaire. He couldn't show any feelings at all. Enjolras had a group to lead.  
"Come on, Courf. Let's go see him." Enjolras said, unable to think of anything else to say. 

The majority of the car ride there was completely silent. Enjolras and Courfeyrac were lost in thought on their way to the hospital, until Courfeyrac started talking when they were almost there.

"At least Ferre and Joly are with him." Courfeyrac said.  
"Yeah." Enjolras said. "They're going to take good care of him." trying to be as reassuring as possible. He was mostly reassuring himself. 

They ran up to the desk at the front of the hospital. "We're here to see Grantaire." Enjolras said, feeling the guilt tug at him.  
"You can visit him." the lady at the desk said. "He's in the ICU. I've heard that he isn't doing very well." Enjolras felt sick again. 

When they arrived at his room,  
Grantaire was on life support, but it seemed like he was gone already, with most of the color drained from his face, all the wires stuck in him, and just how still he was. There were no sounds in the room except the beeping of his life support. 

That sickness just got worse and worse.  
"Oh my gosh, R..." Courfeyrac whispered, wiping away a tear.  
Enjolras walked over to his bed and held Grantaire's limp hand.  
Courfeyrac followed behind him and put a hand on Enjolras' shoulder. "He's going to wake up..." Courfeyrac whispered to himself. "He just has to..." he started sobbing. 

Enjolras went numb again. Courfeyrac was crying... He couldn't remember the last time Courf had cried, or been sad at all. It stung, because this was his fault. He yelled at Grantaire, and now he was in a coma, and because of that, Courf was a sobbing mess. He stood up and hugged his friend, running his hand up and down his back.  
"Will he be ok?" Courfeyrac mumbled into Enjolras' shoulder.

Enjolras just didn't know. 

"I don't know..." he said, his voice cracking.  
He pulled away from Courfeyrac and knelt beside Grantaire's bed, the sobs racking him.  
"It's ok, Enj." Courfeyrac sobbed, his hand over his mouth.

Combeferre and Joly walked into the room. So far it was just the four of them.

"Enjolras, don't worry." Combeferre crooned, putting a firm hand on his shoulder. Enjolras kept on crying.

"Shhh... It's not your fault. Come on, stand up."  
It was like Combeferre could read his mind. Enjolras complied and Combeferre took his hand to help him get up. He was shaky from all the crying. Combeferre was practically holding him up.  
"Joly and I are going to keep a close eye on him, alright?" Combeferre stared him in the eye.  
Enjolras let out a shaky sound and hugged Combeferre. Ferre was his best friend. If anyone could save Grantaire from this mess, it would be him. Whenever Enjolras fell apart, his best friend was always there to put him back together. In fact, whenever anything bad happened, Combeferre would have to fix it. Combeferre led Enjolras over to the chair at the side of the room. "Come on, sit down." he said.  
Enjolras plopped down in the chair in a haze. His marble cheeks were red and tear stained. He seemed to be staring into nothingness and his lips were parted, not in their usual straight line. He didn't look like himself. 

Combeferre walked over to Courfeyrac.  
"Ferre..." Courfeyrac whimpered, tears cascading down his face.  
Courfeyrac put his trembling hands on his boyfriend's shoulders, and Ferre put his steady hands on his waist.  
"There's still a good chance that he'll-"  
Courfeyrac silenced him with a kiss. Combeferre tensed up for a second, but then gave in. After a little bit, Courf pulled away and rested his head on Ferre's shoulder. 

"Excuse me, you two, that's unsanitary." Joly said, writing something down on a clipboard.  
He wiped away a tear and tried to laugh. Laughing made the pain go away, even if it was just for a moment. 

"It's nice to see him right now." Combeferre murmured, running a hand down Courf's back.  
"We've been so busy taking care of Grantaire, I haven't gotten to talk to Courf that much."  
Poor Courfeyrac just kept crying and shaking, and he was practically melting into Combeferre. 

Enjolras watched, imagining doing that with Grantaire. He imagined how it must've felt to be held like that... All warm and nice... 

But now he couldn't. Grantaire was in a coma because of him.

That was the harsh reality.

"So do you want to hear about what's going on?" Combeferre asked.  
"Will he be alright?" Enjolras pleaded. Courfeyrac walked over to the chair and put a hand on his shoulder.  
Joly looked at Combeferre and sighed.  
"Maybe." Joly said.  
"He has a 50-50 chance." Combeferre said.  
"So Grantaire hit his head, and because of that, there was bleeding in his brain, which lead to the swelling in his brain. His brain was pushed against his skull. He had five broken ribs, a broken leg, and a broken arm. Luckily, his neck and back are fine." 

Enjolras was hyperventilating.

"When the swelling happened, the brain pushed down on the brain stem." Joly added.  
"This damaged the Reticular Activating System, which is the part of the brain that is responsible for consciousness and awareness." 

"This is very bad, because if the pressure continues to build, it could cut off blood flow and kill brain cells." Combeferre explained. "To make this worse, the brain stem could be pushed out of the brain, causing-"  
He paused for a second and gulped. "D-death." 

"The good news is," Joly started.  
"The swelling has gone down since he got here yesterday. We're keeping him at a good angle so that the fluid can drain, and as you can see, he's using a ventilator and a breathing tube, so he's getting the right amount of oxygen without building the pressure. Of course, he's on some drugs that are reducing the pressure in his brain. There's always surgery to remove a part of his skull to relieve the tension. Of course, we took care of all his broken bones." 

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you earlier, but we had to get a lot of things done in such a short time and we had no time to tell you. He got here around 6:00 and we needed every second. If we had told you right away... Taire might not be with us right now..." Combeferre said.

Enjolras put a hand over his mouth.  
Courfeyrac grabbed Enjolras' free hand.

"I want you both to take care of yourselves. Remember, this is nobody's fault." Combeferre said firmly, looking Enjolras in the eye. 

'But it was my fault...' Enjolras thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has a poem that DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. I found it on http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poems/love/

"It's an unexplained feeling that we all hope to find  
That wonderful feeling that seems to boggle the mind  It makes your eyes hazy  It can make you carefree and lazy  It can make you or break you It can make you happy or blue  Giddy, like a child at play  Looking for that feeling every single day  Love is an unexplained feeling  Something that leaves ones heart reeling  A special kiss, hug or smile  A kind word that goes the extra mile  A beautiful voice on the end of the line  It's wonderful to know love so divine  Soaring up and down on the wings of a dove  That's the unexplained feeling of love."  
 Jehan read the poem he wrote. Everyone in the room applauded. Eponine, Combeferre, Joly, Bahorel, and Gavroche were scattered across the room. It was the next week, around 5:00.  
He sat at Grantaire's bedside and squeezed his hand.  
"I know you'll wake up, mon ami. It might not be anytime soon, but I know you will." Jehan whispered.  
"It's nice of you to read to Grantaire." Combeferre said with a smile. He checked all of Grantaire's vitals and wrote them down.   
"I know you're in there, buddy!" Bahorel yelled, a tear in his eye.   
"Shh..." Jehan hushed him, as tear slipped out and glided down his face. "Combeferre and Joly need to concentrate."   
"Yeah, Jehan's right." Courfeyrac said, sitting down in the chair.  
"I feel like this is Enjolras' fault." Bahorel ranted.  
"Don't say that." Combeferre hissed. "It's nobody's fault."   
"I mean, he has a point, Ferre." Joly said.  
"I mean, if he hadn't yelled at Grantaire, he wouldn't be in a damn coma!" Eponine yelled. She muttered some harsh words.  
"We all know Enjolras is only a person, and so is Grantaire. I don't blame him for this." Courfeyrac said.  
"When will he wake up?" Gavroche asked. The look of fear in his eyes broke Eponine down and she hugged him as tight as she could.  
The door creaked open. Enjolras came through the door.   
Everyone stared.  
The room was silent except for Eponine's sobbing.  
"Hello Enjolras." Combeferre said, smiling softly.   
Gavroche walked up to Enjolras, who didn't look anything like himself. He had dark circles under his eyes, his usually neat hair was messy and tangled, and that godlike radiant glow seemed to have vanished. He was wearing a large tan sweater and baggy jeans, which were nothing like his regular outfits.   
"What happened to you?" Gavroche asked.   
"I'm alright, Gav. How's Grantaire, Ferre?" Enjolras asked, walking over to Grantaire's bed. He kneeled down and gripped his hand. It broke his heart. Those skilled hands could be used for drawing or painting, but he wasn't sure if they would ever draw or paint again. Enjolras placed a light kiss on his hand.  
Before Combeferre could answer, Gavroche was barraging Enjolras with questions.  
"Bahorel, Joly and Eponine were talking about you." Gavroche said casually.   
Enjolras felt sick.  
 "They said you yelled at him, and that's why he got drunk and ended up here." Gavotte said, gesturing towards Grantaire.   
Enjolras felt the world go blurry.   
"Dammit..." Eponine hissed. "Crap, Gav, don't say that."   
It seemed like the whole room was holding its breath.  
"Is that true?" Gavroche asked.  
Enjolras stood up and took a few steps back towards the door.   
"I-I-I-" Enjolras started.  
"Enjolras," Combeferre called him. "It's not your fault."  
Enjolras felt guilt grab him and strangle him. This was all his fault. His friends were talking about him behind his back, and they thought it was his fault, too. Why couldn't he just deal with his feelings normally and confess his love-  
No, he couldn't be in love. He didn't have time for that. He had bigger problems than love.   
This was all his fault...  
Enjolras took one last look at Grantaire and ran out the door. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER COULD TRIGGER YOU SO PLEASE BE EXTRA CAREFUL!  
> I tried to make this chapter less graphic to help out with the trigger warning. 
> 
> On the bright side, I also decided to add some backstories with Combeferre and Enjolras and there's a lot of fluff. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this and constructive criticism would be great. :D

Enjolras walled into the kitchen of his apartment and opened one of the drawers. There were so many knives to choose from...  
He chose the dull knife; it would hurt the most. He just wanted to feel something other than numbness. He also wanted to punish himself for what he did to Grantaire.  
Enjolras rolled up his sleeves. There were cuts on his arms already, which lined his entire arm.   
"Grantaire's going to die and it'll be all your fault..." He reminded himself.  
He cut more lines.   
"You killed him. He's probably going to die."   
Some of the cuts that were there the day before were bleeding. Enjolras' arm was bleeding and it hurt so much, but he felt something. It wasn't a good feeling, but he felt something.   
He wiped all the blood off his arms with a paper towel, and rolled down his sleeves.   
Those wounds were so ugly, they were impossible to look at.   
Combeferre burst through the door. "They gave me a break." he said. "I told them that I had an emergency back at home. I told everyone that it wasn’t your fault. They’re starting to believe me.”   
"I'm fine, Ferre. You don't have to worry about me. Take care of Grantaire-" Enjolras said. He broke down in tears. Combeferre rushed over to him and pulled him into a hug. He kept on sobbing.   
"This is all my fault!" Enjolras bawled.  
"Shh..." Combeferre hushed him. "None of this is your fault, mon ami." He pulled Enjolras closer.  
Enjolras' cuts were starting to hurt. It wasn't Combeferre's fault. He just wanted to comfort Enjolras.   
"Shh... It's alright. Grantaire is making a lot of improvement." Combeferre gave Enjolras another squeeze.  
"AGH!" Enjolras yelled. His sweater that concealed his open cuts were pressed up against Ferre. He lurched away and clutched his arms.   
"Enjolras?" Combeferre asked. His face melted into horror as he realized what was happening. Combeferre could put 2 and 2 together very quickly.  
Enjolras sunk to his knees and hid his face. "Enjolras, roll up those sleeves, now." Combeferre commanded softly.   
Enjolras looked up. "No... Please Ferre, don't make me..." he begged, barely audible.

"Now." Combeferre ordered, tears brimming in his eyes. Combeferre kneeled down. "I'm not mad, Enjolras. I want to help you.”.  
"Please, Ferre, please no..." Enjolras kept on begging.                          
"Enjolras, please, you're my best friend! I would never embarrass you! This will just be between us."      

Enjolras sighed and took off his sweatshirt, leaving him in his red T shirt. All of his cuts were there for Combeferre to see. It was one of the scariest moments of his life. "Enjolras..." Combeferre whispered. "Y-you could've told me..."                                          
He looked so shocked and horrified. He was staring at all the cuts for a while, then tears rolled down his face. 

"I c-can't believ-ve it..." Combeferre murmured. "I j-just can't believe it..."                        
"Oh, Ferre, I'm alright, please... Don't worry about me..."                    
"You're not alright! You've been hurting yourself! You were just cutting yourself with a knife. I know because you're still bleeding! Please, Enjolras, let me help you. I'll take care of you, I promise!" Combeferre was crying by then. His hands were covering his face.  
"You're my best friend..." he said with a sniffle. "I wouldn't know what to do if you, I don't know, decided to kill yourself or hurt yourself beyond fixing... That would honestly destroy me. Promise me...that you won't h-hurt yourself. Please, Enjolras?" He paused to cry more and more. Enjolras was speechless. 

"I know I don't say this too much, but... I love you. You're the best friend I've ever had." Combeferre said. Enjolras took Combeferre's hands and moved them away from his face. He looked his best friend in the eye and whispered, "I promise."  
Combeferre smiled a little bit, but there were still tears in his eyes.   
"I'll get you cleaned up." Combeferre said, standing up. He held Enjolras' hand to help him get up and led him over to the sink. Combeferre washed his hands and went over to the pantry to get his first aid kit. "Just run your arms under the warm water." He yelled from the other room. 

"Ok, Ferre." Enjolras said. He washed of his arms, just like Combeferre told him to. Ferre rushed back into the room, carrying a wash cloth and his first aid kit. "I'll do the rest." he said, trying to smile.                                  

Enjolras couldn't believe that Combeferre wasn't mad at him. He was actually helping him after what he'd done.  
"Thank you, Ferre." Enjolras said with a sad smile.                                
"As long as you need my help, I'll be here for you." he replied.              
"I feel a little better." Enjolras said.  
"That's wonderful." Combeferre said as he opened a bottle of antibacterial soap and put some on the washcloth. "This could hurt a little." Combeferre warned.   
He washed off each of Enjolras' arms for about 5 minutes each, giving  special attention to each cut. "Sorry I had to use that soap. I need to buy more peroxide.” Combeferre explained. He rinsed of the cuts and grabbed another washcloth. Enjolras was still looking a little nervous.                        
"I'll be gentle, ok?" Combeferre reassured him. His eyes said it all. Enjolras nodded. He ever so carefully dried each arm off. Combeferre was right. He was gentle. 

He got some antibiotic ointment and put it on the wounds. Combeferre worked quickly and focused a lot when he had to get the job done. He pulled out some gauze and started to bandage his arms. "I'm just wondering why you'd hurt yourself." Combeferre said. "Is it about Grantaire?"            
"Yes, actually. I guess I just felt guilty. I wanted to make myself feel the pain I put on Grantaire. And I just wanted to feel something, because I've just been feeling numb for a while." Enjolras explained. Combeferre nodded.  
"I know it makes no sense, but it just seemed to help." Enjolras said. He looked down at his arm. Combeferre was almost done bandaging it. "I can't say I understand, but I can see why you'd hide it."                                    
Combeferre moved to Enjolras' other arm and started bandaging it. When he was done, he got Enjolras his red hoodie and helped him put it on without hurting himself. 

“Sit down, Enj. We’re going to eat, and then we’re going to have to talk this through.” Combeferre said.  
“Thank you…” Enjolras murmured.”  
“None of this is your fault. None of this is Grantaire’s fault. None of this is the person who hit Grantaire’s fault. Nobody is to blame, so just relax, because he’s getting better.”  
Enjolras took a deep breath.  
“Want some soup?” Combeferre asked. Enjolras nodded. “I’ll even make it the way you like it. It won’t be the soup from the can, ok?”  
“Thank you so much, Ferre.” Enjolras said.  
“Stop thanking me!” Combeferre joked. “It’s not a big deal.

In about half an hour, Combeferre and Enjolras were sitting on the couch eating soup together. Combeferre ate quickly and got up to get a brush.  
“We have to fix this. I can’t let you go out not feeling like yourself.” he said.  
He walked behind the couch and brushed out Enjolras’ curls. He turned them from tangles to beautiful golden waves. The bristles felt nice against Enjolras’ scalp, but he didn’t deserve to be pampered like this.

"I don't understand..." he said, shaking his head. "I've done so many bad things and you still-"                      
"It's no problem, Enjolras. I promised you I'd always help you. Remember back in ninth grade? We made a promise that we'd stand up for each other. Do you remember that?" Combeferre asked.  
He did. Enjolras remembered that snowy day on campus when he found Combeferre lying unconscious on the sidewalk with a black eye and a bloody nose.

 

(Flashback)

 

Combeferre was always the one who got made fun of. He was the boy who was forced to do people's work for them and got beat up after class. It was the last period they had before winter break. Snow covered the ground. Combeferre was on his way to AP Calculus. It was near the edge of the school. All of his classes were with the seniors, and he had to walk to a different building for his math class. Maybe the gang wouldn't pick on him today. Combeferre smiled. He was almost there, and there was no sign of the gang. Suddenly... 

Combeferre felt two large hands gripping each of his arms. He turned around. It was the gang. The three boys were seniors and much larger and muscular, while Combeferre was scrawny, but still tall. He tried to escape their grips, but it was impossible. A third boy walked in front of him.  
"You were supposed to to our biology projects, nerd." he spat. Combeferre was pale and felt like he was about to vomit.                      
"I was studying for my m-midterm, so I didn't do it. You would l-learn the material if you studied too. I would help you study, but I don't want to keep on doing your work!"   
The boy in the front nodded at the two boys grabbing him. Their grips strengthened so much, Combeferre's arms were about to fall asleep. It hurt so much already, but that was just the beginning. The boy in front of Combeferre slugged him in the stomach. He gritted his teeth, and would've doubled over if it weren't for the boys grabbing him. Another blow landed on his face. He wanted so badly to cry, but he couldn't look as weak as he felt. He looked at the ground. There was red on the snow. "Stop it! Please!" he begged. He couldn't think of anything else to do. The punches and kicks just kept coming. “This is what happens when you don’t do what we tell you to do, nerd!” he yelled.  
So much pain...    
                                 
There were black spots clouding his vision.                                          
One more punch in the face.            
Blackout.                                        

Enjolras found him lying in the snow with his lip cut, a black eye, a bloody nose, and his body was swollen and discolored. The snow around his face was red.The snowflakes fell gently onto him as if they were kissing him goodnight. He was so still, he almost looked peaceful, as if he was just resting. Enjolras bent down and put a hand on Combeferre's face. 

"Ferre...Wake up…Please wake up…”  Enjolras pleaded, feeling his face and checking for a pulse. Combeferre slowly opened his eyes.                      
"Enj? Thank goodness... Ah, it hurts-" he said, moving his hands over his stomach and gritting his teeth.                                             
"This is the last straw. They have to stop this."  
"T-they came at me and-and-and it was-they-it-"  
"I'm going to kill them, I swear."                                          
"Nah, i-it's alright... Ah-my stomach- Just, p-promise you won't let them hurt me?"                                                    
“I promise." Enjolras said as he grabbed Combeferre's hand.                                       
"I'll promise to stand up for you, too." he said, letting his eyes flutter shut.  
"We'll protect each other for our entire lives."  
"I agree... Ah- It's really bad, Enj-"  
"Ferre, you're bleeding!"              
"It's alright. Shh, Enj, I'll be ok."    
“You’re not ok, you’ve been lying in the cold snow for all of last period! School’s over! You're going to get sick, Ferre!”      
“Y-you’re p-probably right… It hurts…”  
“You’re shivering… Oh gosh, Ferre, you’re shaking so hard.”  
“D-don’t worry, Augh- I’ll be alright, I promise.”  
“You can come over to my house. I’ll take care of you.”  
“Y-yeah… Your house is n-nice… C-can you help me stand up?”  
“Of course.”  
“Thanks- it h-hurts my lip if I talk.”  
“Then don’t say another word, mon ami.”  
“M-hm…”  
“I won’t let them lay a finger on you. They’re going to pay.”  
“Enjolras, d-don’t be upset, please…”  
“But I should’ve p-protected you!”  
“Shh… It’s alright. Augh, they kicked me right in the knee... Are we almost to the car?”  
“Yeah. I was so scared, Ferre…”  
“I was scared too… They pinned my hands behind my back and they all punched and kicked me... I wanted to run away and hide!”  
“I can’t believe it…How do you feel?”  
“It hurts a lot, and my vision is still blurry because they snapped my glasses. You’re here. That’s all I need to know. You’ll keep me safe.”  
“I’ll keep you close, I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like writing an Enjolras and Combeferre flashback to kinda emphasize that they're best friends and have been for so long, so I hope you liked it! :D I felt like adding some of the lyrics from A Little Fall of Rain because it felt right.


End file.
